


A Quarter Rest

by Hertz



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, friendship fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 14:56:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16065503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hertz/pseuds/Hertz
Summary: Iori thinks Sougo needs a break. Sougo thinks Iori needs one as well.





	A Quarter Rest

“I’m hungry!”

“Yotsuba-san, please -”

Tamaki slammed the door open, blue hair flowing behind him at the sheer speed he was dashing through the dorms. Iori winced, inching the door closed as gently as possible to make up for the loud stomping of Tamaki’s footsteps running through the quiet halls of IDOLiSH7’s dorms. There seemed to be no one here, so Iori saw it fit to raise his voice slightly. Eyebrows twitching in annoyance, he called, “Yotsu -”

“Tamaki-kun! Please keep the volume down.”

“Eh, Sou-chan?”

“Yamato-san’s in his room practising his lines. I think he’d appreciate it.”

 _Osaka-san._ So there was someone else here. Iori’s curiosity was pricked. Following the duo’s voices to the kitchen, he found a very worried-looking Sougo stare as Tamaki grabbed not one, not two, but three King Puddings from the fridge.

“...Tamaki-kun, are you sure that’s healthy?”

With a serious huff, Tamaki brandished a paper in the older man’s face. “Look, Sou-chan. I studied like you told me to… and Iorin,” he added hastily as he noticed his classmate standing at the door. 

“Tamaki-kun, that’s great!” Sougo’s violet eyes sparkled with unrestrained happiness, his exhausted eyebags lifting with his smile. “I’m proud of you.”

“Anyway, I’m taking these as payment.” Tamaki didn’t even bother to retrieve the paper from Sougo’s hands before he was brushing past Iori and out. He held a hand up in acknowledgment as he heard Iori call, “Good work, Yotsuba-san” after him.

The footsteps faded into a loud slam. 

“What did I just tell him?” Sougo asked good-naturedly, still flipping through Tamaki’s papers. “Iori-kun, Tamaki-kun did really well this time around. I’m impressed!”

With a little smile flitting around the edges of his lips, Iori opened the fridge, looking for a snack. It was true. After a long day at school, he was feeling rather hungry himself. “Yotsuba-san told me he worked really hard. I think he deserves it. Our teacher even commended him today.”

“Indeed.” Sougo’s eyes shone with fondness. Iori looked him over, noticing his crumpled clothes and darkness circling under his eyes. Sougo seemed weak. Fragile. About to fall over like a stack of dominoes.

“Yotsuba-san hasn’t been giving you any trouble with MEZZO" lately, right?” Iori asked, concerned.

“Tamaki-kun… well, you know how he is.” Sougo furrowed his brow in thought. “But he tries his best, and I’m grateful for that.”

“I see.” Finally, Iori settled on getting a leftover ham sandwich. It would have to do for now, even if it was not his first choice. Grabbing juice to go with it, Iori sat down at one of the tables. He pried it open with a little pop. “Osaka-san, you should probably get some rest,” Iori commented, looking with concern at Sougo’s exhaustion that remained evident on his pale face.

Sougo blinked once, twice, wiping his eyes with his arm. “Thank you for your concern, but… I can handle it.”

The sandwich tasted plain and… starchy. Iori swallowed before replying. “Osaka-san, I hope you don’t collapse again. Please take care of yourself. You’re an important member of IDOLiSH7. If not for us, then think of the fans.”

Sougo seemed to pause and mull his words over before nodding, though he remained at his spot, slightly tense, in his signature pose with one hand over his other arm. After a little deliberation, Sougo stepped forward, taking a seat beside Iori. The black-haired boy gave him a ‘hmm?’ of confusion.

“You say that, but what about you?”

Iori almost choked. “...what about me?” he asked, coughing a little.

Sougo’s smile was serene, a direct contrast to the darkness under his eyelids. “You’re always saying that,” he said softly. “What about you? Why don’t you take a break once in a while? What would we do without you? You’re dear to us as well, Iori-kun.”

 _Take a break…_ Iori looked at the half-eaten sandwich in his hands. He glanced back at the older man, still giving him that smile of his. _What a foreign concept,_ Iori thought half-jokingly, leaning forward to take a sip of his juice. Orange exploded on his tongue. But he couldn’t take a break, not now, when he was a student and also a member of IDOLiSH7. His grades mattered, his music mattered, Riku mattered. He’d make their center a superstar. There was so much to do. Iori couldn’t afford to rest on his laurels.

Iori was just about to open his mouth and voice his thoughts when Sougo spoke up. “Take your own advice, Iori-kun,” Sougo said, affection present in his voice. With a gentle pat on Iori’s shoulder, Sougo exited the kitchen, probably to check that his unit partner hadn’t died from pudding overload.

Iori stared after him until his swishing scarf was out of sight. Looking down again, Iori took another sip of the orange juice. As he licked his lips, Iori concluded that it tasted sweet. Refreshing.

_Thank you, Sougo-san._


End file.
